Shadows: Tale of the Legendary Suna Ninja
by Timberwolf Silver
Summary: She was always there; looking after him, protecting him. She gave everything for him, and never regretted doing so. He was her light, and she would do everything to make him smile again. GaaraxOC.
1. Prologue: How it all Began

_**Shadows**_

**Prologue**

"_**I had never regretted being born. My life has brought me a lot of pain, but if I have never been born, then I would never have met you. In the end, you were always worth the pain."**_

"_**He called me a monster, a demon. That wasn't the bad part. What was worse was that I believed him. I still do."**_

"_**You have the freedom to do whatever you want. I, on the other hand, do not. I already made a choice, you see? I had chosen to live, and thus I had forsaken my freedom."**_

The night it all started was a peaceful night. The wind was serene; for once it was not raging the sands of Suna into a fearful sandstorm. No clouds plagued the sky, letting the stars and full moon be seen. Even the temperature seemed to pity the people on this night, changing its usually dreading cold for humid warmth. It was a perfect night for those who dwelled in the desert; for once it seemed as if the desert did not want to kill them.

The desert was peaceful, much too peaceful. It was the kind of false peace that enemies bait at you so that you would lower your guard. It was the clam before the storm, promising that after the peace there will be destruction. It was the kind of peace that instills fear in the hearts of those who know what it means. This was the kind of night that she was born on.

…

Akana Takuma had seen many deaths being a jounin. He had gone to the funerals of family, friends, comrades… but none of their deaths could have possibly prepared him for the pain that her death had brought him. She was the only happiness that was left in his otherwise wretched life, she was so fragile, so weak, so full of life, so **precious**. She had been the one to guide him through his sadness that a life as a ninja inevitably brought with itself. And now she was **gone**.

He looked down at her much too still face. It was never going to smile again; never will her mouth say a soothing word. The once cheerful face was now solemn, pale even against the white sheets that she was covered with. Her stomach, which was so big only a couple of days ago, was now strangely flat. His blank expression never changed even as she went up into flames. Not a single tear fell from his eyes. Being a high jounin, he was never allowed to cry, not even when someone dies. Especially not if the one to die was someone close. Shinobi were supposed to be tools, they did not need emotions. Emotions were a display of weakness, and weakness was never allowed in Suna. In the harsh desert village, the choice was kill or be killed, and the other shinobi would have torn him to pieces if they saw that he was becoming weak.

Takuma watched mutely as the last remains of his wife turned to ashes. The only visible thing that could be seen in the raging flames was the small ring that he gave her on the day that they promised that they would always be together. Takuma's jaw tightened ever so slightly. Burying someone was impossible in the desert; the ever moving sands always brought the corpse back to the surface. The custom was to cremate the remains of those who died, and to scatter the ashes on the wind, so that after death they would become part of the desert.

After the funeral, Takuma quickly escaped to the confining walls of the glooming house. Without her presence, his house felt immense and lonesome; it was too big for a single person. Closing the door behind him, Takuma slid down the door, waiting for the tears to fall, for sadness to ravish his soul. No tears fell. It was as if his body had shrivelled up and refused to cry. He couldn't even feel anything. The only thing that remained in him was emptiness. It was as if the cruel claws of death tore out his heart when she died. The only thing that they left was a gaping hole, reminding him of what could never be returned. Reminding him of the hollowness that now resided in him. He knew that he would never be the same, that he would never be able to feel happiness again.

Suddenly, the bundle that lay previously forgotten in his hands started to whine. Takuma moved a piece of the white towel away from the face of the newborn and stared at its wrinkled face, threatening to burst in cries. The white cloth that the baby was wrapped in contrasted greatly with the dark attire that the jounin wore on this scorching day. He had long since gotten used to the heat and usually would think nothing of this desert weather. But on this day, he hated the sun that constantly burned above the village.

He hated the indifference of the nature. He **despised** that even through everything had changed in his life; none of his sorrow would ever come close to touching the great entity of nature. He **detested** the way that nature made her death seem so unimportant, as if she wasn't necessary, as if she was so easily disposable.

Another shriek brought him out of this silent rage. He looked down again at the hungry infant and harshly tapped the child on its arm, so that it would stop disturbing his pain. The baby had only been fed once; right after it had been delivered from his wife. Moments before his wife had died.

He remembered the worry that she was too weak for childbirth; the probability to die was high for her. Nevertheless, his wife had persisted with wanting a child; disregarding the concerns of everyone about her physical conditions. She convinced him that she would be able to do it.

When she found out that she was pregnant, she was so overjoyed. She did everything she could do for her baby. She believed that she would be able to do anything is she could just put on a smile. She was wrong. The leech that had been implanted inside of her eventually sucked the life out of her. The creature killed her from the inside.

His attention was once again brought back to the creature that was letting out nerve-wrecking screeches. Takuma placed the child on the hard and cold floor. He took out a kunai and prepared to do what he did best. Kill the mutant; the thought kept on spinning in his head. After he made his decision, Takuma swiftly brought down the kunai into the chest of the newborn.

…

The infant was floating in the dark abyss, completely oblivious to the outer world, oblivious to its impending doom. Being only a day old, none of its senses have developed enough to sense the world around it, so the darkness was all it had. The darkness was like a warm blanket, softly encircling the infant. The darkness was a comfortable presence; it was peaceful and made the child forget all of the sorrows it could have had. Suddenly, an obliterating pain erupted from the chest of the child. It was worse than any of the meagre experiences that the newborn had ever felt in its short life. The newborn couldn't breath; it was as if a flame had erupted from the spot that the kunai had entered. The infant didn't even cry, in fear that tears would only bring about more pain. It just let out tiny little gasps in hope of at least some air being able to enter its lungs. It was the kind of paralyzing fear that no child should ever experience.

Then, a few moments later, which felt like a decade to the baby, the pain disappears. In its place the darkness, which used to feel so soothing, started to suffocate the infant. It started to chip away on the child's very soul; ready to take it away to death's domain. The darkness poisoned the body of the infant with its malicious energy; the pain that it brought was much more horrible than anything that a human could cause. Most would scream in agony at what it did; they would try to tear themselves apart and attempt to prevent the darkness from doing what it was. All attempts would be in vain. The darkness is like a solid wall, never withdrawing once it had entered.

But the newborn did something that no one did before; it did something that was paradoxical. It did not fight against the shadows, against the darkness. It did not** reject** them. Instead, through it was searing from the pain, the child accepted them within itself. The shadows stopped for a slight moment at the acceptance; confused and shocked. Humans inherently long for the light, so it was stunning to find one who didn't abhor darkness. Then, the darkness did something even more unconceivable.

The darkness started to change the child from the very core. It burned out each and every single cell in its tiny body. The child didn't scream or cry even through it felt like it was being burned alive. The shadows were burning out what had made the child human, and instead made the child akin to the shadows. The child could no longer be called a human, as now it was a creature of the darkness, a** shadow**. The darkness had done something that it had never done before: it had also accepted the child as kin.

…

He had done it, he had his vengeance. The mutant was dead. Takuma stared at the puddle of blood forming under the small body with crazed eyes. He erupted in small giggles. It was dead! **DEAD**! It had stolen his wife from him, and now it had paid the price. For all the pain that it had caused him, the parasite had gone to suffer eternally in hell. He only held a little sliver of disappointment at how the damnable creature had only suffered so little.

Laughing to himself, Takuma closed his eyes and brought the kunai to his own neck, hands shaking. Now he could go to the afterlife to meet his wife, and they could be together once again. Suddenly, he heard a sound that sounded alike a snake slithering on the ground. Dazed, Takuma opened his eyes to see the body of that creature turned into a substance similar to black water and reform back into the way it was before it was stabbed.

Fearfully, Takuma reached to stab it once again, but it was the same as trying to pierce water; no matter what he'd do, it would just go back to the way it was before. _**WHY**_, thought he in desperation, **WHY WON'T IT DIE!** Then an sudden thought soothed his mind. _How good,_ he cooed coldly at the infant,_ how good is it that you won't die._ He laughed once again, this time at a high maniacal pitch. Yes, dying was just too fast for the monster, he will make it suffer.

The creature will regret not choosing death when it could, for now it will have the fate much worse than death. He will make it regret taking away what was his; he will make it suffer. He can't die, not yet, not while it is still alive.

He looked back to the time when his wife, all excited, was thinking up of names to call the thing, the demon that would later take away her life. He sneered at the memory and said in a sickly sweet voice, _Yes, we have to call you something, you monster? _In his mind, he knew what would be the best name for the monster. From this day forth, its name shall be **Yami no Kage**,_ evil of the shadows_.

**…End of Prologue…**


	2. Chapter I: The Meeting

_**Disclaimer:**_** I ****don't in any shape way or form own Naruto or any of its characters or storyline!**

**In the production of this story, no humans have been harmed as an experiment, this is all a product of my imagination! I repeat, this is all a product of my imagination!**

**I am not responsible of anyone who is unintentionally harmed by this story, whether mentally or physically!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"_**Madness was always like a poison; you knew that in the end it would destroy you but still, it was too sweet to give away."**_

"_**I wouldn't say that my life was bad, I am sure that there are many out there who have lived through far worse. I just want to say, that the life I lived, I would not wish it upon an enemy."**_

"_**Those long hours in the darkness, when I had nothing to do, I was tormented by the question of why. The answer came to me one day. It's just that by then, I didn't care anymore."**_

The little pale girl sat trembling in the corner of the dark room. She had heard him come into the house; and was feverishly hoping that **he** wouldn't notice her. There was a good chance of that happening, as she could smell the bitter stench of alcohol in the air when** he **entered.

That was both a bad and a good thing;** he **was a lot crueler and ruthless when** he **was drunk but then again, sometimes** he **did forget about her existence when** he **was like this. Sometimes,** he **would just slump on the floor and cry out a name all night.

That would always terrify her; the despair in his voice was so evident that she would forget about any pain that** he **gave her. She just wished that** he **would find peace. Still, she always knew that it was better to fear than to feel pain.

She was never able to hide in the house.** He **was always able to find her no matter where she hid, and then he would beat her even more than when she wouldn't hide. It was futile to hide; **he** was a jounin after all. The only time she was able to get away from him was when she dove into the shadows.

But she didn't do that often, only when she was in real danger of losing her life. If she used it often, she wouldn't have enough energy to do it. The shadows always seem to suck her chakra, a bit after bit, away from her.

She heard him coming closer to the door of the room that she was in. Holding her breath, she waited to see what** he **would do. After a few long seconds,** he **slammed to door open.

"WHERE ARE YOU, MONSTER?"

She pushed herself even farther into the dark corner, trying to make herself as small as physically possible. The room was grey and sullen, like all the rooms in the house. The only light source in the room was the light shining from the door. Perhaps, if she just stayed quiet and didn't move, then** he **wouldn't notice her. Perhaps…

"Ah, there you are,"** he** whispered ominously, his eyes glinting in the dark. "Trying to hide from me, aren't cha?"

She crawled more into herself, bracing herself for the inevitable. In a few short strides, **he **crossed the room and gave her a vicious kick, aiming for the abdomen. The force behind the kick had caused her to slam into the wall. She could hear a few ribs cracking from the impact. Her head flew backwards and hit the wall with such force that treacherous tears had sprung from her eyes.

She hated crying. It never did anything but bring a whole new set of kicks and taunts. She tried to never cry because of that. It only gave **him** more reasons to call her a monster.

"Aw, isn't our itty bitty monster crying?"** he** laughed darkly, **his **voice cracking a couple times. "There is a reason why I called you a monster, it's because you are a GODDAMNED FREAK!"

She tried to whip the black tears from her face, smudging dark smears in the process. It truly was a strange thing, she guessed, to have black tears, if that was the reason why she was so hated.

**He** kicked her a few more times, making her cough up dark red blood. Then** he** deemed that that was enough as **he **turned and walked wobbling to the door. As **he** was about to shut the door, he turned around and said in a cruel voice

"Try to hide from me again and I will make this seem like a joke." With those words, **he** silently turned around and shut the door, shutting it with such force that it made her shudder.

She listened to the sound of **him** walking down the hallway. Only when** he** shut the door to **his** room did she gather herself up and sat up, leaning against the wall.

Normally, she would never be able to hear** him** as **he **walked and would wait another hour to see if** he** would return, but it seemed that in his drunken state** he** was not as good a shinobi as **he **usually was.

She slowly picked herself up from the ground, wincing at the soreness and raw pain in her body. She picked up the edge of the large, dirty shirt which she wore and looked at the bruises littering her body; new black bruises forming over older yellow ones, and a whole new wave of tears started prickling at the edges of her eyes.

"_Why,"_ she asked herself. _"Why is all of this happening to me? Why does __**he**__ hate me so much? Why am I a __**monster**__?"_

No. She couldn't cry, she told herself. She had long since learned that any sign of weakness would be her downfall. She believed that she would find the answers to her questions, someday. But for now she had to survive.

She had learned at one year of age that if she did not care for herself, then she would die. The amount of food that **he** gave her was not enough, so she had to resort to stealing food from the kitchen in the long hours when** he** was away, on things that he called '_missions_'. Very small amounts of food, just enough to survive, as bigger amounts would cause **him** to notice the thefts. Anybody would be able to see the ribs protruding from her body if they looked close enough.

Quietly opening the door, she peeked down the hallway to see whether or not **he** was there. She had been taught that not everything is always as it seems, and even through **he **had seemingly gone to** his** room, it could have been just a trick on** his** hand, to lure her into thinking that she was safe. She never was, and any mistake in thinking she was would have a heavy price.

Feeling that it did seem like there was anybody in the hallway, she silently ran out and headed to her destination, the library. **He** had taught her how read; in addition to writing and talking. It was in those moments that she did not feel any hatred being emitted from **him**. Once, she had dared to look up into** his** eyes. She saw a strange, never-seen before emotion.

Was it sadness? Guilt? Maybe, just maybe, it was regret for making life a living hell for her? That emotion quickly evaporated as** he** noticed her looking at **him** with unblinking obsidian eyes and anger filled them instead.

"What are you looking at, _demon_?" **he** had hissed before** he **hit her across the face. Then **he **stood up and turned away, telling her that if she was unable to read by the next week, she would regret it. She never dared to look into **his** eyes again.

She was a genius by normal standards. A prodigy, one might say. She had learned to talk like an adult by one, and to read and write by two. But she was the sad kind of prodigy, the kind that had no other choice than to be a prodigy. If she acted like a child, then she wouldn't have survived as long as she has. And she had to survive. She had to get her answers.

That's why in the long hours that she spent alone in the empty house, she went to the old library that she found in the house. It was full of books on the shinobi arts, seeing as **he **was a skilled shinobi. She read every single one of them, memorized them to the very last word. She wanted answers, and only the strong get answers. If she wanted to get answers, she had to become a shinobi, just like **him**.

She was quickly slinking down the halls, checking every few seconds to see if anybody was following her, heading the quickest way to the library. As she was passing by the front entrance, she saw something that made her heart freeze.

The front door was not shut tight as usual. The hot sunrays of Suna were breaking through a tiny crack.

Throughout the whole four years of her life, she had never been outside of the house. She hadn't been able to use her 'gift' of going into the shadows to even see what was happening outside as **he **had made it so that most of her abilities with the shadows were sealed. **He** had always locked the door, and so she had never had the chance of going outside, under the bright rays of sunlight.

She knew that if she went out of the door right now, then **he** would find her no matter where she goes and **he** would be absolutely _furious_. She would go through something worse than the hell that she had gone through prior. She was even scared to think about what **he** would inflict upon her.

But, if she wouldn't go out right now, she would never get another chance to do it. **He** would never leave the door open again. It the only chance that she would get for freedom. Fleeting, short freedom, but freedom nevertheless.

The gentle, warm rays of light beckoned her to come and to open the door, to see what was beyond the tight boundaries that where set for her. This ended her internal conflicts as she decided that she would always regret it more if she did not step beyond the door than if she did.

With timid, uncertain steps, she walked up to the door and pushed the small crack open. The humid evening wind blew instantaneously bringing with itself a few golden specks of sand. The sun was still seen over the horizon, its last few rays illuminating the village. It was the time of day when ordinary people finish up their businesses and start heading home to relax. She looked behind herself for a second, and then she took the first brave step out of the house.

Astonished by the feeling of warm sand on her feet, she began walking farther and farther away. She constantly looked around herself, amazed by the tall buildings, by the different sounds, by the feeling of sun on her pale skin as she walked down the sandy road. She swiftly looked at the people walking everywhere, quickly looking away afterwards. It was the first time that she had ever seen a human being other than **him**.

She feverishly hoped that nobody would notice her, as she did not want them to hurt her just like **he **did. Indeed, nobody paid attention to the dirty, thin child sneaking around dark corners. Nobody cared enough; they had enough work on their hands to care for some unknown child.

After walking a short while, she reached a playground, on which a group of kids were playing with a ball. When she decided that the children didn't look threatening, she walked up to them and asked if she could play with them. This would be the only time that she would be able to go outside; she had nothing to lose by trying to get a friend.

The children stared at her for a few seconds, until one tall boy walked up to her slim frame and pushed her onto the ground. The fall did not hurt too much, she only cringed when one of the newer bruises on her back hit a rock protruding from the ground. She questioningly looked up to the boy who pushed her.

"Play with you? Look at yourself! You look as if you had been born in a dumpster!" The boy sneered and then laughed, his friends laughing with him.

"Nobody would ever want to play with you!" He declared.

She stood up and dusted herself before going back into the shadow of a tree from which she could hide and she watched as the children went back to their games. The boy's words did not hurt her too much, she had heard and been through a lot more over the years, but it still stung her to think that nobody would ever like her.

She knew that she looked bad, but it wasn't as if it had been by choice. She only had a single long, dirty shirt which served her as a dress; on top of that her skin was caked with dirt and blood. She wasn't about to bathe frequently, if lucky she could help herself once a month. If unlucky, she could go a whole month without seeing bathing water. Her hair looked like it was never combed, which was the partial truth, as she usually was never able to even see a comb, and it looked as if a crow was trying to make a nest out of it.

She understood everything, but still, looking at clean, happy kids playing as if they didn't have a single care in the world, she wished that she would be able to live like them. She wished that at least _someone _cared about her, just like the parents of these kids cared about them. That thought pulled a sad string in her heart. She never had parents. Real ones, anyways. Ones that cared about her. In that aspect, **he** could hardly be considered a father.

Something bright at the edge of her eyes caught her attention. Turning her head, she saw a boy with red hair sitting on the swings, all alone. His hair was what caught her attention. It was a scarlet colour, a couple shades lighter than the dark red blood that she gets to see on a daily basis. It was an unusual colour to see in the desert, most often the hair colours in the desert were bland, pale blond or a light brown. Red hair was almost as rare here as her black hair was. He was dressed in clean clothes and held a teddy bear close to his chest. She couldn't see his eyes as he constantly held his head down, looking as if he was nervous or scared.

"_Perhaps,"_ she thought. _"Perhaps he would want to play with me."_

As she thought that she unconsciously stretched her arm a bit into the direction of the lone boy, but then she remembered the reaction of the other children to her presence and she quickly pulled back her arm, as if burned.

No, he would be the same as the other children. She shouldn't even try to befriend him; the other boy was right, nobody would want to even be close to her. Then she saw the boy looking up from the ground, his pale green eyes staring longingly at the group of kids who were playing just a few meters away from them. In that moment, he looked just as lonely as she was. He looked so similar to her, so desperate for some love, that she decided that she would try one more time. Just one more chance to make a friend.

Indecisively walking the short distance between her and the boy, she watched as the boy once again picked up his head to watch her heading to the spot where he was sitting. Once she got closer to him, she noticed that he had sand swivelling around him, as if it was dancing in a small whirlwind with which he was the center. Standing a bit away from him, she watched the sand in amazement. Then, she noticed that he saw her staring at him, and looked down in embarrassment, her hands fiddling with a piece of her shirt. After a few seconds of silence, she finally gathered enough courage to ask him.

"Would you like to play with me?"

His eyes widened in surprise. Then he looked around himself as if looking to see if she could have been talking to someone else. It seemed as if he just could not believe that she was talking to him. During the few moments that he was contemplating what to answer; she stood straight with a blank face and showed no signs of nervousness. Inwardly, she was anxiously waiting for what his answer would be. Finally, he asked her in a quiet voice,

"Are you talking to me?"

She nodded. Her beliefs turned out to be justified. He was like her. Like her, he was lonely. Lonely enough to the point, where, he didn't even believe it when someone offered him a way out of the loneliness. She felt something prick into her heart, something that she recognized as pity.

"_Ironic,"_ she thought_. "Even through I'm the one who looks like I went to the other side of hell and back, I am the one to pity him."_

After a few moments of hesitation, he asked another question, a question that she truly did not expect,

"Does that mean that… you want to be my friend?"

His voice was once again quiet, uncertain, as if scared that she would start laughing and that all of this would turn out to be some cruel joke. This question caused her to widen her eyes a bit. As she usually always wore a blank poker face, even something so small was a big gesture for her.

This time, she was the one to nod uncertainly and answer,

"If you want me to be, I'll be your friend."

Her voice was scratched and parched, as she didn't use it much. She never had a reason to, any time she pleaded** him** to stop; **he** would just laugh in her laugh. The last time she just talked to **him**, **he** kicked her so hard in the face that for a whole week she couldn't even breathe properly.

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, both not knowing what to do next, until a hand grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her away from the redhead. She turned around and saw the tall boy from earlier with his group of friends following closely behind, looking scared. The tall boy's face turned into an arrogant sneer as he looked at the red-haired boy, and then he turned to her and said,

"We will let you play with us, so you don't need to talk to a monster like him!"

She looked at the red-haired boy for a few seconds and saw that he looked down at the ground, appearing all sullen and downtrodden. He looked as if he was sure that she would accept. Then, she turned her head and stared straight into the eyes of the tall boy. Without a moment of hesitation said,

"No."

The tall boy looked bewildered, and at the corner of her eye she saw that the redhead looked just as confused.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Said the tall boy. "We're letting you play with us, so ditch this freak and come with us!"

She shook off his hand that was still holding her arm and repeated,

"No. I decided that I will be his friend, so I will play with _him_. I do not want to associate myself with people like you."

The tall boy turned red in the face from what he considered an insult. His friends started attempting to convince him to just leave the two alone, but he shook them off and pulled back a fist to hit the small girl who dared insult him.

"Why you little-"

That was the only thing that he managed to say. Seeing that he was trying to cause her physical pain, she reacted quickly and before anyone could even blink she kicked him in the groin causing him to kneel. When he was at her level, she kneed him in the face and then stepped back to stand closer to the person whom she called a friend.

Constantly living in fear, she learned that she had to be fast and sneaky if she wanted to survive. She used that to her advantage, as if she was slower than the boy she would have been sure to lose. Through she had knowledge of the shinobi arts; she wouldn't have been able to use it as that was all she had, knowledge but no experience. She did not yet start to put her knowledge into practice and she was still unable to do anything of the things that she memorized.

The tall boy first just sat there in the sand, in shock and unable to understand what happening. Then he quickly jumped up and ran away down the street, tears and blood streaming down his face, with his friends following close by.

After the group of kids disappeared from view, she turned around to see the boy looking at her with a strange look on his face. He probably still couldn't believe that she chose him over the other group.

"Do you… want to play with that ball?" She said awkwardly, gesturing with her hand to the ball that the group of kids had left behind. The boy looked at the ball and asked her, confused,

"How can we play with it?"

It seemed like both of them were unused to playing with another person. She had never played in her whole life, and he had only played by himself, so they both didn't know what to do. Even through they watched the other kids play, they did not understand how to play themselves.

"I guess, we can pass it to each other?" She said in a questioning tone.

He nodded and they started passing the ball between each other. The 'game' as they called it was very simple, and normal children would never agree to play such a mundane game. The two of them relished in the presence of each other. They did not need anything exciting happening, they were just delighted in the fact that they had a friend.

As the hours went by, they just kept throwing the ball to each other, occasionally asking question in an attempt to get to know each other better.

"How old are you?" Asked the short girl.

"I turned five a few weeks ago. You?"

She rewinded her memory back a month and a half ago, when **he** came back _very_ drunk and wished her a _happy_ fourth birthday and gave her lots of_ presents_. That was one of those times where she had to go into the shadows to heal herself; as **he **did not stop himself just because she was not moving in a large puddle of dark blood. When she came back from the shadows, she saw **him** in one of those states, where **he** just laid on the ground and called a name all night. Once again, that terrified her more than any pain could ever.

"I think I recently turned four."

"Really? You look small for someone who is supposed to be four."

That was true. Malnutrition had laid its mark on the girl, who was almost twice as small as someone her age is supposed to be. Then she asked him another question that had been bothering her since the moment that she saw him,

"Are you controlling the sand?"

The seemingly innocent question had caused him to stiffen, and the ball fell to the ground at his feet. She saw tears in his eyes before he once again lowered his head to the ground. Then the answer hit her,

"That's why they hate you, right?"

He bit his lip, and with a quivering voice asked her,

"Would you hate me if I told you?"

Her eyes widened in panic and she quickly answered him.

"No! You're my friend, friends don't hate friends."

She did not want to lose her first and only friend. She didn't want him to be unhappy either. Being with him made her feel a new emotion; an emotion she didn't recognize. She had felt many emotions before – fear, anger, anxiety, despair – but she had never felt anything like she was feeling. It made her feel strong on the inside, resolute in face of the problems that the life brought to her in droves and it made her want to protect him. She wanted to make him happy and in return, him happy made her happy too. She liked this new emotion, even if she couldn't make sense of it.

Swallowing hardly, he whispered in the silence that suddenly surrounded them,

"I-I… when I was born, a d-demon was sealed into me. It makes the sand go like this…"

And in a voice that turned even quieter, so quiet that she hardly heard him, he added,

"I would understand if you don't want to be friends with…with a **monster** like me."

"_A demon? Monster?"_ She thought. _"No, he's not a monster… not like me."_

She crossed the short distance between them and brought him into an awkward hug. He just stood there stiffly, his face once again bewildered. No one had ever hugged him, no one had ever dared, not even Yashamaru. It was unusual to him, but he found it… nice somehow.

"You aren't a monster or a demon," she voiced her thoughts and then she released the hug to look him into the eyes.

"You are my friend, and you are a nice person; too much of a nice person to say anything against those who torment you. Friends protect friends, so I will protect you."

She did what she considered a smile; through really it was just the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. The only way that you could tell that she was actually smiling was that her eyes softened into a warm black colour.

Then he did something that she did not expect him to do. He smiled at her. In her mind, it was as if time had stopped and the world abruptly stopped spinning causing her to sway forwards a little. Her eyes widened a small fraction of a millimetre and her mouth opened a bit to create a surprised expression. He _smiled_ at her. Her, when others would not even give her a second glance. Her, the hated one. Her, the true **monster**.

His smile was a purifying ray of light. It held so much gratitude and happiness within itself that for a few seconds she just stood there, stunned, overwhelmed. She had never seen another person smiling at her before. She was always the one looking at people happily walking together with their loved ones though the windows of the house. There was always a barrier between her and happiness, and when she was finally exposed to it she felt as if all the sorrow, all the pain, all the unanswered questions in her life did not matter anymore. She forgot all the bruises that littered her body; she forgot that she was dirty and that soon she would have to return to that place that was like the hell on earth to her.

She just wished he would not stop smiling, would not stop as whatever he was doing; it was healing her scarred heart. She felt as if she was turning pure again, as if his smile dissolved all the filth and cruelty that pained her heart. It made her want to dance and to laugh. It made her feel as through she could fly with the sunlight becoming her wings.

In that moment, she understood everything. She would do anything for him. While he was her light, she would be his shadow. If she would live as a monster, then it would be for him. She protect him, even if she would have to become an atrocity. She would become a nightmare in the eyes of those who stand between her and her goal, a true monster Because she understood that she…

Looking up at the sky, she noticed that the last red rays of sunlight were disappearing behind the horizon. It was time for her to return. She turned towards the boy and said,

"It is time for me to go back to the place where I have come from; and when I go there, I will not be able to return for a long time."

Seeing that her words had caused his eyes to tear up again, she quickly added in a soft voice,

"We are still friends even if we cannot see each other. I will return someday - maybe, years from now - and when I do, I will protect you, I swear. Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara."

She smiled again.

"Gaara. I'll look forward to the day when we would be able to see each other again."

With those words, she turned around and ran down the darkening road in the direction of the house.

"Wait!" She heard Gaara shout. "What's your name?"

She stopped. She never had a real name, as those that **he** called her were more like titles rather than names. Except for one, there was one name that** he** had once called her that sounded like a name. Even if the way that he said it was filled with hatred and disgust, it was a name that suited her. She liked the way it sound. She turned around to answer Gaara.

"I am," she declared. "Kage. Yami no Kage. I guess that is my name."

And with a parting look, Kage disappeared around a corner. She did not know then that it would be a long time before she would get to even see Gaara again. As she was walking down the empty streets, she thought Gaara, and those thoughts unconsciously brought a smile to her face.

"_I love him."_ She laughed as she thought how simple the complicated emotions had turned out to be. _"When you love someone, you would do anything for them. I love him, so I will get stronger and fulfill the promise that I gave him. I swear that in the end, he __**will**__ be happy."_

Kage didn't even notice how deeply she was absorbed in her thoughts until he found herself standing outside of the door from which she had exited just a few hours before. Fear once again started to prickle at her heart.

**He** had to notice that she was gone. There was no question about it. Even if **he** was drunk, **he **would have still noticed her absence somehow. **He **had warned her before, that if she were to go out of the house, **he **_would _know. And she was sure that **he **was not just threatening her.

Inhaling deeply, she opened the door and quickly walked in. Carefully checking in the darkness that **he** was not waiting in the hallway, she walked in and placed the door in the position that it was when she saw that it was open. She started walking down the halls. The darkness in the house was suddenly both welcoming and threatening. The silence, which usually was so comforting, was now frightening. She quietly walked down the now familiar and foreign halls, heading down the path to the room. When she was just about to enter the room, she felt a shiver go down her spine and she knew that she was doomed.

"Where d'ja go, eh, little monster?" **His** breath, stinking of alcohol, breathed right down her back. She must have let down her guard because of going outside, since she didn't notice **him** sneaking up behind her when **he** was drunk. She froze up in fear, unable to even think while **he** seemed to have noticed that she was outside. Perhaps, there was some sand stuck in her hair, or it was that she smelled of the desert. But whatever it was, she was completely unprepared for the kick in the back that sent her sprawling down the hall. She really had let down her guard when she came from the outside, and she paid for it. It hurt twice as much when the pain came unexpectedly.

"You _dared_ go out?" **He **hissed, slurring some words because of the alcohol. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Saying that,** he** took out a kunai, and walking up to Kage grabbed her by the hair. **He **swiped across, cutting her hair short and then finding her new hair cut humorous **he **laughed. **His** laugh sounded like a cat screeching with scratching a chalkboard; just as unpleasant. She stood up on her elbows, and seeing the black hair scattered around her, remembered,

"_I find your hair really pretty. It's like the night sky." Said Gaara with a shy half-smile. "I like night skies."_

Gaara. She has to protect Gaara. She has to be strong if she wants to protect him. Fear is _not _an option. She must be strong. For Gaara. Everything for him.

She looked downwards, her now short hair covering her eyes.

"No." She said.

At the sound of her voice, **he** stopped laughing and said,

"What? Didja say something?"

Kage stood up from the floor, turned around and glared at **him**. **He** stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time, and at the sight of her piercing black eyes a small stream of fear started to go into **his **heart.

"No." She declared. "I do not fear you."

When she said that, so fearlessly and with so much power in her voice, **he** began to tremble. An emotion, old-forgotten feeling with the roots deep from his childhood suddenly came back. After so many years, the roles have been switched and now the one who had instilled fear was now the one who feared. **He** could only get rid of his fear in one way. By killing her. In that moment, **he** forgot that **he** had never been able to kill her for four years; **he **wanted her dead and **he** would do anything to achieve his goal.

"CURSE YOU! JUST DIE!" **He** shrieked in a thin voice as he brought down the kunai in desperation.

She just stood there, unmoving, until the kunai reached her. Then she dissolved, like the first time that she became part of the shadows. Except this time, she wasn't held back by anything. Now, she was equal to the shadows. She had power.

She had changed, and now, everything was about to change.

…**End of Chapter I…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Thank-you for reading my story! Now please go and review, as it is the only way that I can improve!**

**Special thanks to everyone who had favorited or followed the last part!**


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